


The Healing Sky

by TheAngstyFujoshi



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Abandonment, Abuse, Angst, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Original Character(s), POV Multiple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 11:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5333012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAngstyFujoshi/pseuds/TheAngstyFujoshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the age of six, Sawada Tsunayoshi is kicked out of his home. At twelve, he is Kimura Tsunayoshi, otherwise known as dame-Tsuna, who's just trying to survive, that is, until Reborn comes in. </p><p>"You're supposed to be dead." A gun was pointed at his head. "Explain, now."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, get ready for a roller coaster of a ride guys. This fic will focus a lot on character development and POV's, and I have a lot planned for this. It's your overly-used abuse twin-fic, but with a twist (hopefully?).

 

 

Six and Lost

He was six when he landed painfully on the sidewalk outside of his house, a bag thrown at his face, covered with multiple bruises hidden underneath his clothes. The door slammed shut, and his brain tried to catch up to what had just happened. It took a full three minutes before searing hot tears slid down his cheek, and he swallowed back a pitiful sob as he stood up, the bag gripped loosely in his hand. He stood there for another five minutes until his feet began to drag themselves away from the place he called home for six years, mindlessly wandering around town for the next few hours, trying to understand why life was so unfair.

His first night on his own was spent sleeping under the slide in a random playground. He had curled into himself, clutching onto the bag like a lifeline, and cried himself to sleep. After a few nights, someone discovered him in the park, and he had run as fast as his short legs could take him, and found a place hidden away from most eyes, under a large bridge on the skirts of Namimori. There it would serve as his new home until he walked into the abandoned Kokuyo Land, and that would become his home for another ten years of his life.

0o0o0

"You fucking brat, get back here!" Screamed a heavy man with his meaty fist curled up and promising a world of hurt, running after a small child with a head full of spiky brown locks.

Tsuna panted at the effort of running, a large loaf of bread clutched tightly in his arms, and swiftly turned into a corner. Squeezing his small, thin body into a small opening in between two buildings, he held his breath as the man ran past his hiding spot, and didn't let it go until he couldn't hear him any longer. Sighing after a few minutes, he left the opening and slid his prize underneath his shirt, in case someone tried to steal it from him, and quickly made his way back to Kokuyo Land, slipping past the "no entry" sign, and quietly stepped into one of the abandoned buildings. Weaving through several halls and rooms, he arrived to a small hallway much further into the building, and opened the door to a small office room. He locked the door behind him, then walked over to another door that opened to a tiny broom closet, and pulling on a switch that shone light to the small, three by five closet.  
There, Tsuna finally allowed himself to relax, and he plopped onto the worn futon he found in one of the other buildings a few weeks ago. He carefully took out the bread, and his mouth watered at the smell of it, but he shook his head, trying to clear any thoughts of gobbling it down, and put it on the shelf that held an assortment of items. He grabbed the small dagger on it, and meticulously began to slice the bread into smaller portions, leaving one small slice out, and putting the rest into a small cardboard box. He needed to carefully ration his food, because there was no guarantee when he'd be able to steal more. He picked up the measly slice, and nibbled on it slowly, but as always, it was gone quickly, and he was barely able to quench the roaring of his empty stomach.

Lying on his back, he stared at the ceiling of the closet, trying to calm down his still-panicked heart, before it escalated into something worse. The sharp pain in his head told him he wouldn't be so lucky today, and he sat up quickly as he began to cough harshly. Taking small gasps of breath, he waited the coughing out. After a few minutes it died down, but he was left breathless and in pain. He curled into himself, wrapping the thin blanket tightly around his frail body, and he eventually blacked out.

* * *

_Loud, mocking laughs filled his ears, and he curled into himself, covering his ears in hopes that he wouldn't hear anything._

" _Did'ya hear them, dame-Tsuna? Useless, weak, pathetic, I heard it all from kaa-chan. And know the best part? Tou-chan agreed too!" Hirotaka, younger by three minutes, jeered in his older twin's face, basking in joy at the other's expression of hurt. "Useless-Tsuna, weak-Tsuna, pathetic-Tsuna, there's too many names to call you! Like I thought, dame-Tsuna is the perfect name! I bet kaa-chan and tou-chan call you dame-Tsuna too!"_

_Laughing so hard, he fell to the ground, the harsh sound clawed at Tsuna's ears, and he felt like they were bleeding. Picking himself up, he ran out of the house, rounding the corner and diving into one of the many bushes in the backyard, hiding himself behind the branches and let himself cry softly. He hated crying in front of Hiro, it just made the taunting worse, so he found haven in the bushes in times like this. Looking up through the thick branches, he saw his mother lifting his brother up, a true smile on her face as she cuddled her son. Whenever she looked at him, he was always met with a tight smile and sharp eyes, and even sharper words, nothing like she was now. More tears slipped down his dirty cheeks as he watched his family, more happy without him._

* * *

Eyes blinking wearily, he tried to discern his dark surroundings, before remembering where he was. Sighing, Tsuna wiped off the leftover tears on his damp cheeks before getting up, stretching and letting out a loud yawn. There was no window in the closet, but he knew that it was dark out by now, and he slipped on his thin sweater, making his way out of the building. He stared up at the night sky, appreciating the view of the stars, and made his way back into town. He'd preferred going out at night since less people were awake then, making it easier for him to sneak around. It was at this time of day that Tsuna would go around through the trash, picking up random items he thought would prove as useful, and if he was lucky, food that people would throw out. It was disgusting, yes, but what else could he do? Shivering, he pulled his hoodie around him more tightly. Fall was ending, and winter was approaching more quickly than ever. He had been lucky enough to be able to steal a good amount of clothing from random clothing lines over the last few months, but he was still unsure how he'd find food properly in the winter, as the outdoor markets would close for the season and food would freeze before he could get to it at night. Shaking off the thoughts, he focused on the present, and moved on to the next trash bin, willing his stomach to quiet down. After a few hours, he returned with a bag full of whatnots, and organized the items on his shelf. Munching on a bag of burnt popcorn, he tried to plan what he'd do over the next few weeks.

He'd quit school many months ago, when he had first been kicked out. There had been no point in attending when all he'd get were bullies and painful reminders of the life he had had, not to mention the curriculum was mediocre and simple. Contrary to popular belief, Tsuna was actually quite smart, but his grades were low due to Hiro, being the ever-jealous person he was. He couldn't stand his brother getting higher grades than him, and would often beat him into purposefully failing his tests and assignments. Since he had quite a large amount of time on his hands, Tsuna often went to libraries to pass the time, reading up on more advanced subjects such as algebra and physics; he'd long since read the other books the library had offered, and was considering picking up a few other languages since he was running out of things to read. Of course, he had also gone through many books to help with his current situation and survival, which proved to come in handy many times, including the knowledge of lock picking.

_I should really find a source of money, maybe a job? That way I can at least buy my food._

Tsuna sighed. Who would hire a six-year-old though? What kind of jobs  _could_ he do with his condition? He had little to no endurance at this point, his thin frame due to constant hunger not helping in any way. In fact, he probably looked like the wind could carry him away, not to mention he was too short for jobs like cleaning. Brushing off any crumbs, he readied himself for more sleep.

_I'll just look through for job postings in town I guess._

Waiting for sleep to claim him, he drifted off to dreams of feasts and a loving family.

0o0o0

"Please, I beg of you! I can do it!"

Currently Tsuna was on his knees before a stocky man, who had on a disgruntled expression.

"No can do kid. You're too young."

"Please! I really, really, need this job!"

A few hours earlier he had seen an ad looking for a newspaper boy, and he had grabbed the opportunity immediately. It was a perfect job, not too physically strenuous, nothing that required him to be taller. But the man in front of him seemed to think otherwise.

"I swear I'll do a great job, and I'll never take a sick leave, and I'll always be on time and I'll never complain and I'll –"

"Alright, alright, slow down there kiddo. If you want it that bad, I'll give it to you. But not a single word of complaint got it? You'll come in here at five every morning, and I expect you to finish one round in an hour."

Tsuna nodded his head eagerly. "I'll do it!"

"Alright, now get going kid. Your parents are probably worrying about you."

Gritting his teeth, he smiled at the man and bid him farewell.

From then on, at five sharp, Tsuna would show up at the company building, as he waited to receive his bundle. It was heavy and weighed down on his small body, but thoughts of real food pushed him into doing his best, and soon enough doing his rounds every morning served as a sort of training regimen, building up endurance and strength for his frail body. Even as winter finally rolled in, he'd continue to work hard, even on hard days when snow would pile up high, he'd trudge through, never failing to finish up within an hour. He only got paid seven dollar per round, but he appreciated every dollar he earned, making sure to carefully save up some of the money. Sometimes his boss, the man he had first talked to, would take pity on him, and treat him to lunch, as he had quickly put two and two together and realized Tsuna was an orphan of sorts. But he never delved into it, and simply watched the boy struggle to survive; if he wasn't going to ask for help, then he wouldn't give it. Besides, it didn't seem like he had even needed it at all.

And this is how the next two years passed.

* * *

Eight and Barely Alive

"Hey kid, come with me, I have lots of treats at my place." Called out a grubby man, but Tsuna ignored him and continued on. He was on his way to his other job, which was further down on the sketchier side of town, which he got a month ago, as a dishwasher at a small restaurant. Though he was paid very little, the plus side was being able to take home any leftover food.

"Evening, Kimura!" Tsuna turned to return the greeting to a coworker, one of the cooks, as he stepped into the back entrance. He had unofficially changed his surname to Kimura when he got his job as a delivery boy. He couldn't legally change it as Nana was still considered his legal guardian until he turned eighteen.

"Evening, Ichinose-san." He replied politely. Putting his bag in the closet, he grabbed his apron and the stool kept for him. At eight Tsuna was still quite short, so he used a stool to reach the sink. Pushing his sleeves up, he got to work, ignoring the feel of the scalding water on his skin, and diligently washed each and every dish.

0o0o0

"Hey, Kimura." Said a voice next to him, and Tsuna looked up to the owner of the restaurant. "How's working going?"

He had been on his break, studying his Chinese notes, when the man had approached. "It's fine, Mori-san."

Nodding at his reply, he continued on. "So I need someone for Friday, could you come in?"

"Of course." Tsuna replied, mentally sighing. He had been quite tired lately with the addition of his second job, and it starting to take a toll on his weary body. While his attack had been growing less frequent over the years, it had come back more viciously over the month.  
After another few hours, he was off, making the hour trek back home, plopping onto his futon in exhaustion and immediately fell asleep.

* * *

" _G-Get away from there Hiro." His bottom lip was quivering and he bit down on it. In front of him was Hiro, who was dangerously close to the ledge of the second-story window. "You're gonna f-fall." His eyes widened at the smug look his brother sent him._

" _I know"_

_And he was gone. There was a scream, and then loud cries, and Tsuna rushed over to the ledge, staring down in horror at the mangled body. Hiro's leg was bent the wrong way, and his skin was littered with angry, red scratches. Nana had ran out of the house at the cry, and gasped in shock at the sight, before she was quickly in action, flipping out a phone and calling the ambulance. Crouching down by Hiro, she bent down to what appeared to be Hiro whispering something to her, and Tsuna reeled back in shock at the furious look his mother sent him, her eyes hard and unfeeling as she stared up at her first-born child. There were alarms going off in Tsuna's head and he just knew something terrible would happen soon, but the thoughts were swept away as the Sawada household became hectic, with paramedics rushing in and whispering neighbors came out to see what the fuss was about. In a little over ten minutes, everyone was gone, and he was left alone in the quiet house. With no one left, he crawled into his bed and hid under his sheets. The house was always too big for him.  
_ _Nana had returned in a few hours, and she had immediately entered Tsuna's room. He was about to run up to her for comfort until he saw her expression, and he stopped, his body stilling, waiting in apprehension as to what would happen next, but in all the scenarios that ran through his mind, what would occur next was something not even in his worst nightmares did he ever dreamed would happen, and it would forever be imprinted into his memories._

_In the course of one hour, he was tossed around, beaten, screamed at and was on the receiving end of countless insults and words that pierced his heart. And after that one hour, quick hands grabbed a bag and shoved a few articles of clothing in, and he was tossed out on the sidewalk outside of his house._

* * *

"Uhm, could I ask you for a favor?" Tsuna asked shyly, his voice quiet and withdrawn. His boss, Arata, stared down at him in mild amusement, a grin pulling the corners of his lip up.

"Well it'd depend on the favour." He replied in turn. An eyebrow raised as Tsuna suddenly pulled out some papers from bag.

"C-Could you maybe, sign these forms for me?" In his hands were application forms for Namimori elementary school. "I need g-guardian signatures to attend, and I don't really have anyone else to ask. If you don't want to, t-that's okay." He ducked his flaming face down, his long bangs covering his face. But he quickly snapped back up when he heard a sound of agreement.

"Sure." Arata ruffled Tsuna's hair, and took the papers. Tsuna had been working with the company as a delivery boy for almost four years now, and just like promised, Arata never regretted hiring the boy, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he had grown somewhat fond of the small child. Signing a bunch of papers to put the boy in school? It was the least he could do, really. Despite the low pay and occasional harsh weather conditions, Tsuna worked hard, and Arata felt a sort of responsibility for him.

"But why're you all interested in going to school now? It didn't seem to bother you before." He asked in curiosity. The boy was smart, anyone could figure that out, and he didn't seem like the type to go to school.  
Tsuna turned red, and he started to mutter under his breath.

"What was that?"

He seemed to turn even more red as he stammered out his response. "T-There's someone I l-like t-there." He trailed off in a whisper.

"Hooo? Well then, I definitely can't refuse now." Arata chuckled in amusement. Of course it'd be a girl. Briefly going through the papers, he quickly wrote his signature down. "There you go. Have fun." He shook his head in fond exasperation as Tsuna took the papers and scampered off. Kids.

0o0o0

Tsuna pushed away any last thoughts and made his way across town to the only elementary school it had to offer: Namimori Elementary School. He was undeniably nervous; he hadn't been around kids his age for a long time, and he wasn't too sure how he'd act around them. There was no way to connect to the other students, as someone with a situation like him was unlikely to be able to play around freely with no other thoughts past homework and friends, and it's not like he needed the education. No, the reason for him attending school was due to one person by the name of Hibari Kyoya. Tsuna had frequently seen the boy around town, who went of his way to track down no-good doers, beating them up ruthlessly and without emotion. It was beyond bizarre, but Tsuna developed a sort of admiration for him, and looked up to him as a role model. Hibari was, in a way, everything Tsuna strived to be: strong, independent, proud, confident and courageous. So here he was, attending school for the first time in almost four years because of a _boy_.

Walking down the noisy hallways, he ignored the other students and their parents, his eyes searching for one person, but he was disappointed as there was no sign of him, and made his way to the gym where everyone were to be assembled. Tuning out the long and monotonous lecture given by the principle, he began to make new schedules in his head to accommodate the addition of school. The rest of the day was uneventful and boring, and he felt a little cheated. The classes, as he had predicted, were mediocre and lacking, and it was almost unbelievable that he had had to put in so much money for something so worthless, but he settled with gritting his teeth while listening to the dull voices of his teachers, while putting the time to be of more use, and studied his Chinese notes instead. By now, he knew about four languages: Japanese, English, French and Italian, and he planned to learn a few more before redirecting his attention to other areas of study, such as business and engineering. Earlier, he had much more time on his hands to focus on studying, but with more work coming in and now having to attend school, he'd have less time to study.

0o0o0

It turned out, that being smart did _no_ t raise his popularity and fend off bullies. Ironically, it didn't matter if Tsuna either failed his tests or got perfect scores for him to be deemed "dame-Tsuna".

Tsuna had aced the first few tests and quizzes in his first month of school, but he soon realized his mistake; it seemed people didn't appreciate "dame-Tsuna" doing better than them, and proceeded to tell him such after school, words replaced by jeers and pushing. So Tsuna figured being the laughing stock of the class was better than being the know-it-all, and slowly his grades began to fall back down. Actions fueled by jealousy was far more brutal than that of mocking.

0o0o0

"Herbivore, you are crowding. For that, I will bite you to death." Came the foreboding words from a ten-year-old Hibari Kyoya.  
Looking up in terror, the bullies around Tsuna scattered as quickly as they came, and soon Tsuna was left alone to face the wrath from Namimori's very own tiny prefect. Tsuna, despite looking up to said prefect, was still shit-terrified of the boy and his violent methods, and he curled into himself, arms raised in protection.  
Hibari looked down at the terrified herbivore in disdain, but he didn't raise his tonfas. The boy was scrawny and tiny, a mess of brown locks halfway covered by arms littered with varying bruises. He looked to be the prime example of a quivering rabbit, and for that, Hibari decided not to bite the herbivore to death.

"Leave before I bite you to death. Loitering on school grounds after hours is not permitted."

Tsuna stared up in wonder as Hibari turned his back to him, walking away. Did he just escape a beating from  _the_  Hibari Kyoya? Not wanting to push his luck, Tsuna scampered up, grabbing his bag and fleeing from the scene.  
The next day, he left a small bag of cookies in front of a sleeping prefect before running away as quietly as possible, not noticing that Hibari was already awake, his eyes sparked with a small amount of interest. The following day after that, Tsuna's bullies gathered up enough courage to attack the brunette once more, but to their absolute shock, Hibari was swooping down to them before they were even able to lay a single finger on the quivering boy, and this time, they weren't as lucky to escape the beating. Tsuna, in that time, had taken the opportunity to sneak away from the scene, not foolish enough to believe Hibari would let him off the hook a second time, and had almost reached the school gates before a tonfa was suddenly in front of his face. Squeaking in horror, Tsuna found himself face-to-face with an impassive-looking Hibari.

"Herbivore, I thought I made it clear that loitering was not permitted." He drawled in a bored voice. Tsuna, not daring to let out a sound, nodded his head furiously. Hibari raised an eyebrow at this. "Then why is it that I find you loitering here anyways?"

Tsuna started to gape like a fish, trying to find the right words. "I-I.."

Hibari scoffed, "Don't be late for class tomorrow, herbivore." With that, once more, he strode away, leaving Tsuna to continue gaping like a fish, because  _holy shit, did Hibari just let him off a second time?_

And once more, the next day, Tsuna left a bag of cookies next to a dozing Hibari, and they soon found themselves in a particular pattern where Hibari would chase away the bullies cornering Tsuna, and in return, Tsuna would leave Hibari some baked goods the following day. This would continue for another year, before suddenly, Hibari disappeared. Then the next year would be filled with pain Tsuna would never imagine he'd be put under, with no violent prefect to watch his back.

* * *

Twelve and Lonely

Namimori middle school was unbelievably plain and simple. To put it honestly, it was one of the more lower-ranking schools in the district, paling in comparison to schools like Midori Middle and Yumei Private School. The school had unremarkable teachers and equally unremarkable students, and it was this school that Tsuna went to upon turning twelve.

It wasn't as though he was unqualified for Yumei Private, but the tuition was way past his range, and there was absolutely no way Tsuna would be able to cough up that kind of money, so Namichuu it was. With Hibari absent to this day, Tsuna had no real reason to continue staying in school, but at some point in the last year, he had decided that continuing school would at least allow him to aim for higher education, thus, a better lifestyle. If he at least finished high school, he'd be able to apply for better jobs, thus allowing him to possibly save up to attend post-education. Maybe then, he could consider majoring in international relations and diplomacy, something that would make sure his knack for linguistics and thirst for knowledge would come in handy. Needless to say, at twelve, Tsuna had succeeded in learning German and Spanish along with the other five languages he had previously studied. He had spent most of his time learning these languages rather than paying attention in class, ensuring that his grades would fall to the bottom. He had an unconscious habit of answering questions without hesitation, so by focusing on something else, he would miss questions in class and on tests.

Namichuu was….different. For one, none of his old bullies were in his class (by some miraculous powers), and no one in his class seemed to know him. As in, he wasn't dame-Tsuna, but instead, Kimura-san. People didn't look at him with mocking eyes or scorne, they simply ignored him and went about their ways. It was a refreshing atmosphere for him.

None of the students really stood out to Tsuna, though it seemed Sasagawa Kyoko was quickly becoming the school "idol", and Yamamoto Takeshi immediately got along with all the guys in the class. Taking his seat in the far corner of the class, Tsuna sighed, preparing himself for another meaningless year, albeit, and hopefully, without the pain. Oh, how wrong he was.

0o0o0

"Class, this is Sawada Hirotaka. He's a transfer student from Italy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter is just background info, and the second will be a summary of what Tsuna's current life is like. Third chapter is when the canon plot starts and Reborn comes in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for reference, Tsuna is now 13 and still in his first year of middle school.  
> Be warned, this chapter is more gruesome than the last, as we will see a glimpse of the bullying and abuse Tsuna goes through. Takeshi has his own spot in this too, so look forward to it!

 

Tsuna crawled into his futon, lying there and hoping the pain would fade away. Ten minutes later, he forced himself to get up and grab the first aid kit he always kept beside him nowadays. Pulling out some cotton, antiseptic, cream and bandages, Tsuna went through the slow and agonizing process of taking off his shirt and cleaning out his recent wounds. Biting his lip at the sharp burning of the antiseptic, he clenched his fist tightly before forcing himself to put on some cream and wrapping himself up. Flopping back down, Tsuna stared at the ceiling, unwillingly recalling the beating that occurred earlier, before shaking his head and turning off the lights. He still had to get up early tomorrow as usual, and he couldn't afford to lose sleep over something stupid.

* * *

" _Class, this is Sawada Hirotaka. He's a transfer student from Italy."_

 _Looking up so quickly he strained his neck, Tsuna stared in wide-eyed horror as he recognized the bored-looking transfer student in the front. His brother.  
__His heart rate sped up to an alarming rate, and Tsuna belatedly realized he was having a panic attack, but pushed it aside, because that was his_  brother _; his brother he has not seen in six years. Fear gripped his heart as suddenly as the memories that flowed into his mind, and it took all he had to prevent himself from running out of the class right there and then. He stared down at his desk, his bangs shadowing his eyes as he desperately tried to go unnoticed by Hiro. As he felt Hiro's presence get stronger, he realized with no amount of horror that the footsteps seemed to be getter closer to him, a chair scraping behind him with disturbing finality._

" _Let's get along…._  nii-san _." Whispered a dark, gleeful voice in his ear._

* * *

"Hey, Tsuna?"  
Tsuna looked up from his pile of papers. "Yes, Arata-san?"  
"I need to talk to you, alone." His boss of six years said in a gruff voice.

Nodding nervously, he put down his stack before meekly following behind. Inside Arata's office, Tsuna had a bit of a staredown, before Arata sighed.

"What's going on?" He asked seriously. Tsuna was about to question what, before he followed Arata's eyes to his arms, which were covered in a long-sleeved shirt, hiding the bruises that scattered his arms but one sleeve was slightly pushed up when Tsuna made a grab for his stack. Stuttering, he tried to make up some excuses about being clumsy, before snapping his mouth shut with a click at the expression on his boss's face. He watched in anticipation at the tired, almost sober, look on Arata's face. Watching him stand up, Tsuna's eyes followed him around the desk, and when he saw a large head reaching towards him, he shut his eyes, body stiff. He was surprised when only his hair was ruffled.

"I won't ask anymore, if it bothers you that much. But we both know you grew out of your clumsy antics a long time ago. I'm just worried for you, kid. You've been walking in here like that recently. You can...talk to me whenever you want." The man ended lamely.

Tsuna stared up at him for a solid five seconds before a wide grin broke out on his thin face. Arata sputtered when he was suddenly caught in a tight embrace, but simply sighed in exasperation as he returned the hug.

Practically skipping out of the office, Tsuna bowed in thanks before grabbing his pile and making his way out for his rounds, Arata watching him go with a shake of his head and a small smile on his own face.

* * *

A hard book hit his head, immediately waking him up.  
"Kimura, if you want to sleep, you might as well do it in detention today." His math teacher said with an annoyed expression.

There were a few snickers around him, but Tsuna ignored them in favor for looking down at his notes. Everything was written in German, just in case Hiro got a hold of his stuff, again. Speaking of whom, Hiro wasn't in class today, for reasons Tsuna cared nothing for, and it allowed him to relax just a little bit. He wouldn't dare fall asleep in Hiro's presence; when his brother was around he needed to stay alert.

When the lunch bell rang, Tsuna practically sprinted out of class, intent on avoiding his numerous bullies. Sharply turning a corner, he let his feet carry him down a familiar path, where he wove in and out different hallways before successfully reaching outside, practically diving for a bush. Holding his breath, he heard the thumping of heavy feet, and didn't allow himself to relax until it was silent. Sighing deeply, he leaned against the fence, his small body fitting perfectly between a few groves in the school yard, a place that painfully reminded him of the bushes he'd hide in back in the Sawada house. Taking out a rumpled container, Tsuna began to eat his lunch, which was comprised of the leftovers he took home last night after work. He ignored how cold it was, chewing thoughtfully as he mentally put together a schedule for the week. While he still had his jobs as a delivery and dishwashing boy, it didn't make enough for him to actually start saving up for college, so he had acquired a third job a few weeks ago. It wasn't a huge job; he simply worked in the stocking room of a small convenience store. The owner was an old, plump man that only gave him the job out of pity; that was okay with Tsuna, as long as he got the job. It helped that his years working as a newspaper boy strengthened him a lot, so while he was still scrawny and small, he had a surprising amount of strength and stamina. But juggling his three jobs on top of school was a bit much, even for him, and Tsuna was suffering the lack of sleep for it; he swore he spent more time sleeping at school than he did at home.  
As his lunch ended, Tsuna waited for everyone else to go back before hauling himself up and going back himself. Although he was late for class when he did this, it at least made sure his bullies went back before him. The rest of the day went by uneventfully without Hiro there, and Tsuna ran out of the school after his detention, pulling out his work uniform and doing his best to change on his way to the convenience store.

0o0o0

"Hey, Kimura!" A voice behind him called out, and Tsuna turned around, panicking when he saw Yamamoto. While Yamamoto was a nice guy, he was one of  _Hiro's_  friends, thus Tsuna couldn't go near him.

"U-Um, hi." He said quietly, trying to hide his shaking hands by continuing to place the chips on the shelf, forcing his eyes away.

"I didn't know you worked here, haha!" Yamamoto said, scratching his head. Tsuna mumbled a reply, and Yamamoto got closer to him, trying to hear him. Startled, Tsuna stumbled but was steadied by a hand. As he was about to mutter a thanks, he saw something in the corner of his eyes that made him go rigid.

"Yamamoto! I didn't know you were friends with dame-Tsuna." Came a sneer from behind them.  
"Ahaha, I'm not! I just ran into him just now." Yamamoto said in a slightly tight voice. "But what're you doing here, Hiro? Weren't you sick today?"  
"Yea, but I'm okay now. I was walking by when I saw you through the window." Turning his attention to Tsuna, there was a gleeful glint in his eyes. "I didn't know you worked here, dame-Tsuna."  
Tsuna knew the meaning behind Hiro's words, and he stiffly nodded back.  
"I-I gotta get back to work. B-Bye." He said, swiftly grabbing the leftover items and rushing into the back, heart thundering in his chest.

_He knows. Hiro knows where I work now._

0o0o0

His back hit the concrete, hard.

"I've been waiting for you, brother  _dearest_."

A foot stepped on his hand, pressing harder and harder. There was a crack a moment later, and Tsuna's lip bled at how hard he was biting it. His other hand was scratching the ground, nails breaking in the effort.

"I haven't seen you all day. I've been lonely, you know." Came the sickly-sweet voice.

The foot released his hand and Tsuna immediately curled into himself, cradling his limp hand. The same foot connected with his stomach not a moment later, and he slid across the empty parking lot, tearing holes in his shirt and ripping his jeans. Eyes squeezed shut in pain, Tsuna heard the footsteps come closer to him. A hand grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him off the ground.

"You know, I never liked those eyes of yours. Despite being twins, we look nothing alike now, except for our eyes. Our eyes are the same and I absolutely loathe that, did you know?"

A fist clipped the side of his face, Tsuna's neck snapping to the side from the force. He felt a familiar trickle of blood drip down his cheek. Hiro clicked his tongue.  
"Ah yes, I've forgotten, you need to be in good shape to go to work, right? Can't mess you up too bad." Came the words of fake sympathy.

A flash of metal glinted in the evening sun.

"Guess I can only mark you in places that can't be seen. Just like old times, right?"

Tsuna was back on the ground, hands held down by strong grip, a knife in the other, slowly carving words into his stomach. Tears were rushing down his cheeks, his mouth open in a silent scream and his back arching painfully.

"There, isn't that better?" Hiro said, a delightful smile on his face, looking down at his masterpiece. "I suppose that'll have to do for now. I wouldn't want to  _kill_  you, right,  _nii-san_?"

Twenty minutes later, Tsuna forced himself up, mostly because he felt sick to his stomach. After emptying all contents of his stomach in another few minutes, he made his way to his bike, trying to unlock it with a shaking hand, the other one lying limply by his side. Tears blurred his vision, and he gave up after a few minutes and simply kneeled there, crying softly. Blood stained his shirt, some vomit and tears in some places. It took him another fifteen minutes to get up, leaving his bike and dragging himself back home. An hour later, he was slumped on his futon, a trembling hand treating his wound, doing his best to clean it without looking at the words carved into his stomach.

_Property of Sawada Hiro_

The next day, he didn't leave his room. Arata would understand, and he didn't give a single fuck about what his school would think. After a few hours of lying listlessly, he decided the tiny room was too suffocating, and grabbed his blanket. Making his way through the abandoned park, he entered another building, passing by the empty halls until it led out to a beautiful greenhouse. The ceiling was cracked and broken in places, but most of the vegetation seemed to have survived the passing years. Tsuna made his way to a familiar tree next to the pond that extended all around the room. His body ached and protested when he reached up towards its branches, but Tsuna ignored it, lifting himself up with practised ease and made himself comfortable in the small grove in the trunk. Sighing in relief, he wrapped the thin blanket around himself a little tighter, staring up at the sky through the branches and leaves. When he had discovered the greenhouse about five years back, he had been in awe. Without anyone to tend to it, the vegetation had grown wild, and the entire room was filled with overgrown and crowding plants, but it only added to its beauty. It soon became Tsuna's own little haven, a place he'd go to when things got a bit too tough, and the nights became a bit too lonely. He'd been too cautious to spend time in it before, afraid someone would spot him from outside, but with the vines and overgrowth clinging onto the windows, and trees surrounding the walls, from the outside it looked just as abandoned as the rest of the park. No one knew it still flourished on the inside, and it made Tsuna feel special, like he was the only one who knew about this secret garden. He even took his baths here. The pond seemed to use a sort of natural irrigation system that allowed the water to constantly flow in and out of the greenhouse. Tsuna chose a small corner hidden by multiples of bushes and trees as his bathing corner, and used some organic soap he'd made in quite a few batches to wash himself. He even had a kick out of swimming with the koi that lived in the pond when the summer days became unbearably hot.  
Stretching his limbs, Tsuna curled up in his spot, revelling in the tranquility and peace he always felt in this place. A warm breeze tickled his skin and combed through his hair, like a mother caressing her child, and he soon dozed off in his spot.

* * *

_Shivering in the dark room, Tsuna desperately tried to bury himself into his clothing. He had on about five layers of shirts, topped with a hat, scarf and mittens. His thin blanket was also wrapped around his freezing body, but it held no warmth.  
_ _This had been the first winter Tsunayoshi had survived, but there was no heating at Kokuyo land, and no matter how much he wore, he couldn't stop shaking. Weary eyes slowly began to close, and soon he was asleep._

_0o0o0_

_Arata stared at his new delivery boy in worry. It had been about two months since he had hired Tsuna, and while he didn't regret his decision, he was troubled by the boy's situation. Kids his age didn't get jobs, in fact, they shouldn't need money at all. With Tsuna walking in everyday in worn out clothes and shabby sneakers, an overall unkempt look to him, it was clear that the boy was without parents or guardians; an orphan, living god-knows-where. Namimori didn't have an orphanage, and Arata wasn't stupid enough to miss the news if one was built; he ran a newspaper company for god's sake, so when he hears gossip of someone's boy pushing off his brother from the second floor, he began to have his suspicions. There had been no calls about a lost child, and it didn't seem that the boy was new to the area, with the way he navigated around Namimori with ease that only a citizen of the place would have, so Arata was able to figure the boy out fairly quickly. But, while he wasn't heartless or cruel, he also wasn't overly emotional either. The boy obviously looked like he needed a parental figure in his life, but it couldn't be Arata, there was no way he could look after a kid. So he compromised._

" _Tsuna, come here." Arata called out to a sniffing boy. Tsuna looked up, eyes wary as he approached his boss. He let out a small squeak when the man suddenly crouched down to his level._

" _Tsuna, you're sick." Arata said as bluntly as could be. He cut Tsuna off when he was about to speak. "You're sick, and I know whatever ungodly hole you probably live in doesn't have anything that can help you get better, so you're coming over to my place." There was no room for argument, and Arata promptly lifted the boy up, ignoring his quiet struggling. He frowned at how light he was, even for his age.  
__Twenty minutes later, Tsuna was snuggled into big, warm blankets on a soft bed, a cooling pad on his head and a bowl of slightly-burnt porridge in his hands. Arata mumbled apologies for how rough he probably was, and how the porridge was burnt, but the only reaction he got was a blank stare of confusion. He could read the question in Tsuna's eyes as clear as day._

" _Look, I have a pretty good read on your situation. I won't ask about it, because it's not my business, and I'm sure you think you don't need help, but you do. I can't really do much for you in this position, but the least I_ can  _do is help you out when you really need it, okay? You don't need to do everything by yourself, you know."_

 _This left Tsuna gaping and going red at the same time.  
_ " _I-I, uh...thank you…"_

_Arata pretended not to notice the tears falling from the boy's eyes._

* * *

Takeshi watched as a small brunette walked into class, late again. His eyes caught the smug look from Hiro, and he quickly averted his eyes away from Tsuna, forcing himself to look at the board, but he didn't miss the wrappings around the boy's hand and the bandage on his temple. He told himself that the brunette must've tripped again. His mind laughed at him and told him it was anything but. He ignored that though, holding firm to his assumption. Class went by as usual, and when their tests from the last week were handed back to them, he noticed the blaring "100" on Hiro's test, and looked back to his own "23". His eyes trailed over to Tsuna's desk, placed in front of Hiro's, and caught the glimpse of a "20" on it. Inwardly, he chuckled. Tsuna was probably the only one in their class that had lower grades than him, probably the lowest. He adamantly ignored the boy's notes, which were written in Chinese.

"Hey, Takeshi, are you gonna join us for lunch?" Hiro called out. Takeshi gave them a grin and told them he had baseball practice, and watched with a forced grin as they shrugged and walked away nonchalantly. Picking up his stuff, he pretended not to notice Tsuna dashing out of the classroom like he did every day, and made his way down to the field.

"Let's grab dame-Tsuna today. He wasn't in yesterday, so why don't we give him a 'warm' welcome back, right guys?"

Takeshi kept on walking, pretending he didn't hear anything.

0o0o0

" _Hey, Yamamoto! This is Hiro, he's joining us for lunch today!"  
__Takeshi looked up to the new kid, who had on a grin; he was surrounded by the other guys in the class, fitting in right away. He came up to the group, introducing himself._

" _I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, I hope we get along!" He said with his signature grin._  
" _Ah, I'm Sawada Hirotaka, but just call me Hiro. I just moved back here from Italy. I hope you don't mind if I call you 'Takeshi'."_  
_Laughing, he slung his arm around Hiro's shoulders. "No problem! Hey, I don't suppose you played baseball in Italy? I'm on the team here and we're looking for more members!"  
_ " _Baseball? Yea right, I don't have time for things like that."_

 _Takeshi froze up a little at the words, the boy was clearly looking down on the sport, but he brushed it off. "You said, 'back', right? Did you use to live here?"_  
" _Yea, as a kid. But I moved to Italy when I was six."_  
" _Cool, but what made you move back here?"  
_ " _Oh, my mom wanted me to come back, since my dad works in Italy. And I guess you could say I was feeling a bit nostalgic."_

_But Takeshi couldn't help but think there was more to that._

0o0o

He swung his bat with a little too much force, and the ball had flown out of the field towards the back of the school. Takeshi waved out an apology as he chased after it, and let his grin fall when his back was facing the team.

"Damn, that was a good hit! I bet Yamamoto can single-handedly win the big game later this year.  
"Yea, we probably won't even have to do anything, we'd just sit there and he'd win it for us!"

He ignored the playful laughter, gritting his teeth as he went searching for the ball. It turned out the ball didn't land too far away from the field, and he found it in a bush by the fences. Grabbing the ball and making his way back, he heard harsh laughter and jeering.

"Dame-Tsuna, where were you yesterday?"

He ran back before he could hear anymore, pushing down the nausea he was feeling at what he knew was happening. It wasn't his business and he had enough of his own problems to deal with.

 _He'll be fine, he always is.  
__Liar,_ his mind whispered.

When Tsuna walked back in after lunch with a limp and clutching his arm, Takeshi swallowed down the lump of guilt.

_It's not like I could've done anything._

_Liar._

* * *

"Sir, would you like help with that?" An air attendant asked politely.

"It's fine, I can handle it myself." A squeaky voice replied, jumping down from his seat. Stepping out of the plane, an ominous wind blew in the air, and a small hand gripped his fedora more tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I want to say that I have absolutely zero knowledge about greenhouses, and I'm 10000% sure the conditions I gave make it impossible for the greenhouse to thrive. I don't even know if organically-made soap isn't chemical to water, or if it's possible for fish to live off of algae for x amount of years. Pretty sure if the windows were broken, the temperature of the greenhouse wouldn't be stable and whatnot, and I have no idea how it survives the winters like that. All I know is that I'm pretty sure Kokuyo Land actually does have a greenhouse, because in the flashback in the episode they find the place, it seemed like one of the buildings was a greenhouse, so there. But hey, it's a manga about magical bullets and flames, so a physically-impossible greenhouse is fine too, right?


End file.
